Carrie Joyce Reisz

A brilliant spark of kindness and empathy has left the world.

Carrie Joyce Reisz nee Brake, always known as “Joy”, age 77, from Albuquerque, New Mexico passed away on Friday, October 30, 2020 under the loving care of her husband after a long struggle with Dementia.

Born to Robert Brake and Alma Brake nee Bray in Beckville, Texas  in 1943.

She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Michael Reisz; her son Don Repella and his wife Deborah Repella; daughter Jill Reisz Westlund and her husband Nils Westlund; her son Christopher Reisz and his wife Joanne Eekhoff; her daughter Kirsten Sanchez and her husband Roy Sanchez; her exchange sons Taro Okawa, Nils Westlund; her brother Kenneth Brake, and sister and brother-in-law Linda and Dickey Neal. She also leaves behind six grandchildren who were the light of her life: Kai, Silas, Quinn, Adia, Jackson, and Ezra.

Joy was a sensitive and caring soul who opened her life and home to everyone she met.  She was the kind of woman who couldn’t go to the bathroom in a restaurant or stand in a line at the grocery store without coming back with a new friend.  On occasion, she could be found wandering in a casino and stumbling upon lucky slot machines.  Luck always seemed to follow her and those around her always wanted to know her secret.

Joy had limitless compassion for all living things, was wounded by the suffering of those less fortunate, and buoyed by hope for the dissolution of inequality in our world.

Joy loved music and loved to read and travel and visited more than 22 countries in her lifetime. Her dream was to visit and spend a year in every country in the world, getting to know the people and their culture. She liked seeing and experiencing new things, but most of all, she enjoyed meeting new people.  She had the rare gift of being able to find commonalities with everyone she met, regardless of where they came from, what they looked like, or what language they spoke, her kindness transcended language.

She will be loved and remembered forever.

In honor of the compassionate life she led, her brain will be donated to dementia research at UNM. Her ashes will be scattered by her family in the mountains that she loved so much.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Animal Humane NM, or Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless.